Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France
The newly minted Casa Santa Teresa is a case study of the transformative power of sensitive design. Set in an awkward triangular plot, the 1950s family home on Ajaccio’s cours Lucien Bonaparte had been abandoned for decades, but the allure of its fabulous beach frontage never dimmed.
For Aix-en-Provence-based architect, Amelia Tavella, the four-storey home – now reopened as a vacation villa – was an opportunity to fully open up the interiors, drawing the eye ever outwards toward the sun dappled terraces where al fresco dining tables and lounges lead down to the bijou five-metre-long saltwater plunge pool and, steps away, the Ajaccio Gulf and, beyond that, the Mediterranean.
Each of the five bedrooms and the spacious living spaces (including a library and games room) features a soothing palette of chestnut, lime plaster, cane, local stone, rope railings, and decorative concrete – the rough tactility of the whole rendered especially attractive in the late afternoon when the sun streams in through the wide pivot doors and interior shutters.
Should restlessness impinge, there are any number of natural diversions, not least swimming off the Capo di Feno beach, scenic jaunts along the nearby Chemin des Crêtes and Chemin des Douaniers, or, for the more indolent, a visit to the market in Ajaccio town.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
13bis, cours Lucien Bonaparte
20 000 Ajaccio
Corsica
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Colourful card game wins Design Museum’s Design Ventura competition
Annual design competition Design Ventura was won by students from The Piggott School, who created a fun Eye Spy-inspired card game
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Tour a Chilean pavilion perched on the coast: a sanctuary for sleep and star-gazing
Algarrobo-based architecture studio Whale! has designed a Chilean pavilion for rest and relaxation, overlooking a nature reserve on the Pacific coast
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Step into Francesca Woodman and Julia Margaret Cameron's dreamy photographs in London
'Portraits to Dream In' is currently on show at London's National Portrait Gallery
By Katie Tobin Published
-
Chef Raphael Rego’s Oka Fogo in Paris is two Brazilian restaurants in one
Oka Fogo in Paris, by Michelin-starred chef Raphael Rego, offers two dining spaces, with interiors by Arnaud Behzad and joyful frescoes by Florence Bamberger
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Disneyland Paris Hotel has reopened its doors – and it was worth the wait
Step into the brand-new Disneyland Paris Hotel, where we discover luxury with a fairytale twist
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Les Airelles Courchevel is a one-of-a-kind ski haven
Les Airelles Courchevel offers a truly luxurious stay in the heart of the Trois Vallées
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
A Domaine Clarence Dillon estates tour offers an unparalleled way to experience Bordeaux
Domaine Clarence Dillon produces some of the world's finest wine. We take a trip to their vineyards to see how
By Mary Cleary Published
-
24 hours in Copenhagen: stay, bike, dine, and discover Danish design
Plan your 24 hours in Copenhagen: sleepover in a former brewery, wake up with a wild swim, and immerse yourself in the home of a modernist master
By Simon Mills Published
-
Peter Beard’s biographer, Christopher Wallace, on writing the wild life of the quintessential Twentieth-Century Man
Author Christopher Wallace traces the footsteps of the original playboy-artist-activist Peter Beard, travelling from Kenya, to the Serengeti, Cassis and beyond
By Christopher Wallace Published
-
Estelle Manor is a chic take on the hotel and country club
Estelle Manor, a transformed Grade II-listed house and estate in Oxfordshire, welcomes guests with Roman and Williams interiors, parasols by the pool, and a soon-to-open tepidarium
By Henrietta Thompson Published
-
Off-beat eco-lodge Sun Ranch opens in the Byron Bay hinterland
The 1970s-inspired Sun Ranch estate has been envisioned by a collective of friends from Australia’s fashion and hospitality scenes
By Monique Kawecki Published